But you’re also wanting to begin Clean Eating, and you want to make sure you and the family Eat Clean most of the time.

How do you survive when your to-do list is never ‘short’ and processed food is literally everywhere?

Food prep sessions are a huge help in solving this dilemma, and actually benefit you in so many other ways too!

Here’s a quick rundown of why Meal Prepping will save you time in the long run.

1. Food prepping allows you to manage the kind of food you can eat every day.

Figuring out around 21 meals per week (not to mention school lunches if you have kids), and having to do it every time you wake up can be quite a task.

When you don’t have anything planned out and you’re pressed for time, you usually just go with the most convenient option – leftovers, fast-food, takeout, or one of those ‘instant’ meals you can pop into the microwave.

Food prepping enables you to plan your meals in advance – no more racking your brain thinking about what to cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the first few minutes of your day. Aside from saving you from all that stress, you also get to consistently include delicious, clean dishes into your daily menu.

2. Food prep saves you time and lets you enjoy more out of your day.

Wouldn’t it be a relief if you could save more time, and stress less with your daily 24 hours?

While food preps may look like hard work – it eventually gives you what you need more of – time. How? By allotting a couple of hours during one day of the weekend, and another one or two mid- week, you get to prepare food for consumption during the next days. You may need to sacrifice one movie off the weekend movie marathon list, but it’s definitely worth it. Actually, don’t sacrifice at all! Pop your favorite movie in while you’re working in the kitchen, and make it FUN!

Think of it this way: On a crazy busy Monday, breakfast would mean simply reaching out for the overnight oats you made yesterday while watching your favorite TV show. You also get to stash into your (or the kids’) lunchbox some roasted chicken, tasty cauliflower rice, and a jarred salad without breaking a sweat. You even got to sneak in a pumpkin protein ball (or two) for your afternoon snack.

Come dinner time, you’re most likely already tired from the day’s activities. Into the oven goes your pre-roasted chicken, and you reheat your pre-roasted asparagus too. Voila! Dinner in a few minutes. You still have time to play board games with the kids or snuggle with your favorite book before you retire to bed.

Now isn’t that how you want your Clean Eating day to look like?

3. Food prepping lets you have Clean Food available all the time.

We eat what’s easily available – that’s the reality of our everyday life. This means if you have pizza, pasta, and Pop-tarts in your kitchen or pantry, you’re likely to choose those.

When you prep your clean food ahead of time, it can easily become an instant option. Having salads, lean proteins, healthy side dishes, good carbs, and even desserts prepped ahead of time lets you enjoy clean dishes just as easily as your favorite takeout or delivery.

4. Food prepping saves money too.

Here’s how it works: Prepped meals mean you get to eat clean food every day. You get the positive health benefits from fresh produce and eliminate the added sugar and toxins from processed food. You don’t have to pay for a dine-in or takeout meal that will have you hungry again in just a couple of hours.

You may have to invest in airtight containers and bento lunchboxes (which you can reuse many, many times), and spend a tad bit more on nutrient-packed ingredients – but you also do not have to worry much about inflammation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and the like. You’re already saving on medical expenses for now, and for years to come.

Since clean food is made of real, whole foods, you also feel fuller for a longer time. You’ll no longer need to spend extra for constant snacking! This means you get to ‘skip’ on the extra calories too!

And with food for the week efficiently planned out, you only buy and cook dishes that you’re actually going to eat – no more ingredients that you won’t end up using!

5. Food prep helps add variety to your menu.

In addition to saving time and money, and giving extra value to your daily meals, food prepping also lets you inject that much-needed variety. How? It’s all in the planning aspect. By knowing in advance what you’re going to have for a week, you’ll see where and how to add a different dish to the rotation.

You also still get the convenience with easy-to-reheat, grab and go Clean Food. Want to cook something different (but still clean) on a whim? All good – since you’ll have some extra time on your hands.

Meal preps may require your time and a bit of your effort, but once you get into your ‘rhythm’, it can easily become your favorite part of the weekly routine. And you, along with everybody else in your house, will reap the amazing (and delicious!) benefits.

The tricky part for most people though, is HOW to START. What do you need? What do you do first? How do you make it work?

We have created the CleanFoodCrush – Meal Prep Made Easy Video eCourse to give you the best start.

We will take your journey from shopping lists, to shopping, to cooking, to even setting up your fridge for meal prep success.

About Rachel

Hello! I'm Rachel and I'm a mother of 4. My passion is sharing real food ideas that are fun, simple and delicious. I started sharing my food ideas on Instagram in 2013, and wow the feedback has been amazing! I love people, and hearing how others are eating more clean food too!